Pakistan Releases FBI Agent On Bail

Karachi, Pakistan, where a U.S. man identified as an FBI agent was detained last week. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

An American who the U.S. said was an FBI agent was released on bail Thursday by a Pakistani court after the man was ordered to pay one million rupees ($9,800) in bail.

Pakistani police seized ammunition and three knives from the man Monday at an airport in Karachi, leading to his detention, the Associated Press reported Thursday. Police officer Rao Anwaar told the news wire service that the man was about to board a flight to Islamabad and that he was found to have electronic devices. The man first arrived in Pakistan May 1, the officer said.

The man is an FBI agent who was in Pakistan as part of an anti-corruption program encompassing a number of agencies, an anonymous U.S. law enforcement official told the AP. The source said there was no evidence that the man intended to board the plane in Karachi with the ammunition, adding that they were hopeful the agent would be released.